The Pat Kenny Show A look take a look at coffee cup waste
Nov 6, 2025
Jo Linehan, a climate journalist and sustainability expert, dives deep into the pressing issue of coffee cup waste. She discusses the long-awaited latte levy and its potential impact on consumer behavior. Jo highlights the challenges with reusable keep cups, emphasizing how many uses are needed to offset their environmental cost. She also explores Ireland's innovative to-go cup deposit system and debates the effectiveness of compostable versus recyclable cups. Cultural attitudes toward reusable cups among different demographics are also unpacked, shedding light on consumer habits.
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Latte Levy Status And Shift In Responsibility
- The Latte Levy was legislated in 2022 but has seen no progress since then.
- The government is considering shifting the charge from consumers to producers or importers instead.
How Many Cups And Break-Even Reuse
- Ireland discards about 22,000 single-use paper cups every hour.
- Reusable plastic cups need ~20 uses and metal cups ~130 uses to offset their environmental impact.
Use The To-Go Deposit Cup Scheme
- Use the to-go deposit cup scheme when you forget your reusable cup instead of taking a disposable one.
- Return the cup to any participating café to reclaim your deposit or keep it for future use.